British Citizen working in France with New Zealand partner

[keithajb]

First of all, I am a British Citizen who has a girlfriend from New Zealand (3 year relationship, not married).

She has been living with me in the UK for the last 2 years and has entered the UK with a Tier 1 Youth Mobility working Visa. (1st year spent together in New Zealand when I was there studying).

There is now a high chance that I may need to move to work in France (airline industry), and therefore I am looking for advice from anyone who might have had a similar situation.

She will need to return to New Zealand to apply for another Visa soon anyway, but I was wondering what the best Visa for her to apply for would be.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I can supply further information for anyone who requires it.

Thanks!

[That Zimbo Lad]

Hi. I am sure by now you have heard about the Surrinder Singh
route and how that enables family members of EU nationals
to gain residency in other member states, including their own
provided that you (the EU Citizen) are exercising your treaty
rights. The only problem for you is that you are not married and
the Surrinder Singh method applies to married couples. Not
suggesting at all that you get married for the sake of obtaining
papers but have you thought about it? There is a thread on it
which is extensive on these boards, read 2004/38/EC thread.
It's on the Europe immigration section.

[Casa]

Assuming that you don't intend at this stage to settle in the UK, the Surinder Singh won't be applicable. If you want your partner to join you in France, I believe that she can enter with a Schengen visa and then apply for a Family Permit as an extended member of an EU citizen. Wait for others with more experience on French residence permits to advise,

[ALKB]

First of all, I am a British Citizen who has a girlfriend from New Zealand (3 year relationship, not married).

She has been living with me in the UK for the last 2 years and has entered the UK with a Tier 1 Youth Mobility working Visa. (1st year spent together in New Zealand when I was there studying).

There is now a high chance that I may need to move to work in France (airline industry), and therefore I am looking for advice from anyone who might have had a similar situation.

She will need to return to New Zealand to apply for another Visa soon anyway, but I was wondering what the best Visa for her to apply for would be.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I can supply further information for anyone who requires it.

Thanks!

France does not accept unmarried partners as dependents for immigration purposes.

You'd either have to get married or your girlfriend would have to qualify for a French visa in her own right.

[Casa]

Thanks ALKB. I had a feeling there might be a glitch. How does this sit with EU regulations where UK permits unmarried partners as extended family members and France doesn't?

[ALKB]

Thanks ALKB. I had a feeling there might be a glitch. How does this sit with EU regulations where UK permits unmarried partners as extended family members and France doesn't?

Member states can define individually what they regard as durable relationship and usually it is done in line with how they define this for their own citizens.

The UK allows unmarried partners of British citizens to apply for unmarried partner visas if they can prove 2 years of cohabitation akin to marriage and the UK asks for the same proof when applying for EEA family permit or RC as unmarried partner.

Germany and France (and I think just about all other EEA countries as far as I am aware) do not have unmarried partner visas for their own citizens and as such do not accept such relationships for partners of EEA nationals, either.

[flyboy]

https://www.service-public.fr/particuli ... its/F21830

[flyboy]

The above link that i posted, if you click on beneficiaries, you will see that France does accept unmarried partners(concubines), but you need to be together for at least 5 years, no exceptions made. If your girlfriend is under/including 30 years old she could apply for the 1 year French working holiday visa. On the other hand, if she doesn't intend to work in France, she could just apply for Long stay french visa valid for 1 year and renewable every year as long as she has sufficient funds(usually the SMIC i.e french minimum wage), private health insurance and a place to stay.H at. Have a look at the french consulate website in New Zealand. Hope that helps.

[flyboy]

http://www.ambafrance-nz.org/Visitor-Vi ... ore-than-3

[flyboy]

http://www.ambafrance-nz.org/Working-ho ... -Colombian